Donald Trump has thrown the future of the U.S. nuclear test moratorium into question with a new directive to “start testing.” The order, which he claims is a response to secret foreign tests, has caused confusion and a strong diplomatic denial from China.
The ambiguity of the social media post is the key problem. It is not known if “testing” means computational analysis or a physical explosion. The U.S. has not detonated a nuclear weapon since 1992.
Trump’s rationale, expressed in a CBS interview, is that Russia and China are already testing in secret. He claimed these tests were “way underground” to avoid detection.
China’s foreign ministry immediately denied this. A spokesperson stated that China is a “responsible nuclear-weapons state” and has consistently “abided by its commitment to suspend nuclear testing.”
The order comes in a volatile context. Russia recently tested a new nuclear-powered cruise missile, and Trump has been boasting about the size of the U.S. arsenal, claiming it is the world’s largest.
